


fireworks

by Kare



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, and fireworks, at least if you squint, implied past Bucky/ Natasha, it's about sleep... mostly, please use fire responsibly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 18:22:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8067910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kare/pseuds/Kare
Summary: Bucky had found a way to give Steve his very own fireworks, even back in the 40s. Steve remembers. As it turns out: so does Bucky.Warning: please use fire responsibly!I do not take any liabilities.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a drabble based on this one: http://ficmemes.tumblr.com/post/145718235638/30-days-of-writing-pt-5-summer-words , then words happened. It's about fireworks... and sleep. And about dorks being adorkable. At least I think it is....

Of course there used to be fireworks on Steves birthday. After all it is the 4th of July. How could there be not?

 

And of course Bucky used to pretend that those fireworks where all for his best guy.

 

Needless to say that Steve was less than inclined to believe Bucky.

 

Touched by the gesture, sure, but not exactly convinced.

 

So Bucky had to come up with something a bit more… personalized.

 

On Steves 16th birthday Bucky had dragged Steve into a back alley. It wasn’t often that he found himself there with a candle and some ground pepper, but as time would tell: this was far from the strangest thing they would do for each other.

 

And while the candle slowly started to burn in earnest Bucky sprinkled some of the finely ground pepper into the flame.

 

“There you go, your very own firework.”

 

And enthralled Steve watched the dance of those little sparks.

 

The science behind it was pretty simple. Apparently pepper contains essential oils, finely grained pepper catches fire easily and the oils in there did the rest. Bucky hadn’t planned on spilling that secret. The scent gave him away anyway.

 

They kept it as their own little costum. Even during the war, when pepper was hard to come by and fire usually frowned upon, they kept it.

 

And after the war and after the ice and… all those other things that were far stranger than a bit of burned spice… it wouldn’t be fair to say that Steve forgot. He just tried his best to keep away from those memory that hurt the worst.

 

And when he had finally found Bucky and they finally were on speaking terms again - though to say that Steve was allowed to speak and Bucky did his best not to run away would be closer to the truth - Steve tried his best not to want, not to push, not to demand more then was reasonable and quite often he settled for considerable less…

 

So when - at the end of May - someone brought up his upcoming birthday to Steve he just shrugged. The things he really needed were more sleep and less stress. But as Nat had once put it: he might be in the wrong line of work for that one.

 

Apart from that? He had the most important things right here, thank you very much. And he really didn’t want people to make too much of a fuss because of him.

 

And that could have been that… assuming, of course, that Bucky was any less stubborn minded than Steve… which he most definitely wasn’t.

 

And it would be wrong to say that Steve - who was still trying to work out how to best prevent Stark from throwing one of his excessive parties - actually expected to be forcibly dragged into Buckys room. All the more since the former assassin hardly ever allowed anyone near his sanctuary.

 

It would also be wrong to say that Steve was surprised to find a candle and a pepper shaker on the floor.

 

On Buckys part it was not even a concrete memory. It was more of a gesture that his mind connected with warmth, cornflowers and laughter.

 

And he wanted, no, he needed Steve to share this. To share this with Steve. His room wasn’t dark enough for the full effect, but Steve understood. And Bucky watched in amazement as a smile bloomed on the other mans face that put the brightness of the sun to shame.

 

Bucky couldn’t help the surge of pride he felt at the knowledge that he had caused that. Something that simple had made someone smile.

 

If only he had known that before, he would have acted weeks ago.

 

What no one had prepared Bucky for was how fast human emotions can jigsaw. One second thing were brilliant. And the next it looked like Steves face cracked open like an egg, his muscles pulled in all the wrong directions and before Bucky really understood what was happening, the other had turned into 200 pounds of sobbing human mass, all but begging to be hugged. “Just for a minute, I promise, Buck, I…” and the sound that followed wasn’t meant to come from a human being.

 

And Bucky still didn’t trust himself enough. Didn’t trust his arm enough. Didn’t trust his luck enough to know that he would never intentionally hurt this human being. So careful, almost as if trying to balance a freshly hatched biddy on his palm, he wrapped his arm around the sobbing mess before him.

 

One minute hadn’t been meant to turn to 30.

 

Nor had it been meant to end with an exhausted, snoring pile of muscles and bones right in Buckys lap.

 

If Bucky had been able to foresee that, he would have never acted, not in a million years.

 

He didn’t trust himself with humans. Nor did he trust Steve in that matter, since he seemed to trust Bucky no matter what.

 

Half an hour hadn’t been meant to turn into five hours either.

 

But eventually Steve blinked his eyes open again. His hair was sticking every which way. And there was just the barest hint of a squint. And it would have been almost adorable, if only Bucky wasn’t still worried about hurting someone.

 

Steves voice was relaxed and there was a smile on his lips when he asked just how long he had been out of it.

 

“Not all that long.” Stating 5 hours, 12 minutes and about 33 seconds would have been too specific.

 

And Steves face muscles did another of those impossible combinations at hearing Buckys voice.

 

Still Steve got up, actually apologizing for taking up so much of Buckys time. And as he straightened his spine there were the strangest popping noises.

 

And still Steve leaned forward to press his nose against Buckys temple. A gesture that didn’t make the slightest sense. And the whispered “Thank you” still was almost too low to hear.

 

And it was then, that it clicked in Buckys mind. “You don’t want to leave.”

 

And Steve looked as suprised as Bucky felt, seeing that such a sentence wasn’t supposed to leave his mouth without checking in with his brain first. Over the weeks Bucky had passed up countless chances on quibs or jokes, because he still wasn’t sure if he was allowed, if it was okay, if he really wouldn’t be punished…

 

And yet all that happened was a softening of Steves face and an all to audible “No, but you don’t want me here either.” And before the quiet between them had a chance to get awkward, Steve added. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault I still can’t fully relax around them.”

 

And Bucky knew the protocol for this: let Steve get away with it, pretend nothing happened, don’t show you know why your food ration will be higher for the next two days…

 

Except that it wouldn’t do. Not this time.

 

Because to solve this would require minute negotiations, most of them with the other Avengers in full sight. An offered tea, some forgotten blanket, likely even developing an interest in those serialized short movies Steve was so fond of. It would not do.

 

Not when the most obvious answer presented itself right there.

 

Bucky had the presence of mind to marvel that Steve didn’t object to being picked up around the waist. Nor did it really seem like he objected to a mattress on the floor, even if both of their parents would have been scandalized at the very idea.

 

What ever Steves protest would have looked like, it was cut short by a thin blanket that probably carried Buckys smell. And to be fair: to have Steves head on ones leg was a hell of a lot more comfortable then to be sitting with him half slumped across ones shoulder.

 

They worked it out.

 

Bucky was most comfortable when Steve was on his left. It gave him an option to ensure Steves safety with his metal arm, while still allowing easy access to the Glock people pretended to know nothing about.

 

If Steve also developed a fondness for having his hair stroked, well, there was that.

 

And Bucky knew better then to tease him about the low level snoring that usually started about 27 minutes in.

 

Of cause it didn’t exactly remain their secret.

 

The third time Steve was absent to solve some important world saving business - Bucky was around long enough to know that it was as likely to be an alien invasion as it was to be the order of who had to do the washing up - they send in Nat.

 

Of course they send in Nat.

 

She was likely to be the only one who knew how to fight dirty against Bucky and who was ruthless enough to use it if the situation called for it.

 

Of course for people like Nat things like knocking were overrated.

 

She wasn’t exactly surprised to be faced with a loaded Glock either.

 

But to find a snoring super soldier in Buckys lap… that hadn’t been part of the job description. The snoring ceased for a moment, interrupted by a snuffle and something that almost seemed like fluttering eye lids, right to the point where Bucky got back to petting said super soldiers hair with his free metal hand…

 

Yeah. Nat understood this.

 

And all it took was a raised eyebrow from Bucky and a knowing smile from Nat to ensure that the cleaning rota wouldn’t require any further input.

 

The point was that Nat - for all her discretion - wasn’t really good at leaving things well enough alone.

 

But how she convinced Bucky to join a movie night and put Steve to sleep right in front of all the others… that’s probably a story for a different time.

**Author's Note:**

> I have mentioned that this was supposed to be a drabble? Like: 100 words? it actually started with the idea about the pepper shaker. It's a trick I learned from a girl at a convention. We were talking. The convetion was in a hotel. The waiter must have hated us. But there you have it: your very own fireworks. And please use fire responsibly. I do not take any liabilities if one of you guys goes over board with this one. Though this is proabably on the more harmless side.
> 
> Also, as I have proven yet again, that I am incapable of keeping myself short... I highly doubt I will work the rest of that prompt list.


End file.
